UK public-service broadcaster the BBC has said it will boost its live sports coverage by up to 1,000 hours per year as part of a wider strategy to transform its approach in the market.
The increase in free-to-air sport will be demonstrated by live streaming through the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer, a move that has been made possible through an investment in technology in the wake of coverage of the London summer Olympic Games in 2012.
The Guardian said early rounds of football’s FA Cup will be streamed live as well as more matches from the Wimbledon grand slam tennis championships and fixtures from football’s Women’s Super League.
The UK newspaper added that Olympic sports including hockey, swimming and basketball could benefit in particular, with users receiving alerts when their favourite sports are due to feature online. A BBC insider said it would be a “personalised” service and help raise the profile of minority sports alongside the showpiece sports rights the BBC already holds.
The news comes as the BBC has faced pressure in the increasingly competitive sports rights market. The corporation’s last major rights deal came in June, with live cricket set to return to the BBC for the first time in more than two decades.
The England & Wales Cricket Board in June announced the award of media rights for all of its domestic first class county and international matches, played at home, for the five-year period spanning 2020 to 2024.
The BBC’s agreement means live cricket returns to terrestrial television in the UK for the first time since commercial broadcaster Channel 4 aired coverage in 2005. The BBC last showed live cricket in 1999 and will take over the international highlights package currently held by commercial broadcaster Channel 5.
The BBC will show two live men’s international T20 games per season and one live women’s T20. The BBC will also show 10 live games from the new domestic T20 tournament when it launches, including the final, along with eight live games from the women’s competition. The contract also encompasses clips rights to international and domestic cricket.
BBC director general Tony Hall said of today’s (Friday’s) announcement: “This shows how we’re reinventing the BBC for a new generation. We’re giving people more of what they love by working in partnership with the sports industry and making the most of digital technology.”
He added, according to The Guardian: “As we have shown time and time again, we will not stand still. Not if we want to meet the changing demands of sports fans, not if we want to remain relevant in the media’s most competitive marketplace.
“While we’re privileged to be funded by the licence fee, it’s no secret we don’t have the same deep pockets as those we must now compete against but we have unique qualities that are essential for those sports who want to ensure their events are available to – and able to inspire – the widest possible audience.”
The All England Lawn Tennis Club, International Tennis Federation, British Swimming and British Basketball are all said to have backed the plan, which outlines live coverage from more than 30 additional sports or sporting events every year.